Tasmania’s Child and Family Centres

Child and Family Centres are for children birth to age 5 and their families.

The purpose of Child and Family Centres is to improve the health and well being, education and care of Tasmania’s very young children by supporting parents and enhancing accessibility of services in the local community.

The goals of the Child and Family Centres are to:

• improve the health and educational outcomes for children – birth to five years.
• provide a range of integrated early years services in the local community to support the development of children birth to five years.
• build on the existing strengths of families and communities and assist in their educational needs.
• increase participation in early years programs such as those offered through Launching into Learning (LIL).
• build community capacity by developing partnerships with parents, carers and the community.
• respond to child and family needs in a seamless and holistic manner.

Important information about Tasmania’s Child and Family Centres

Tasmania’s Child and Family Centres (CFCs) will be:

• child centred, child friendly, comfortable and warm.
• for all local families with young children from birth to age 5.
• places where families and carers are supported in their vital parenting role.
• greenfield or refurbished sites located in the best location that meets the needs of parents and children aged birth to age 5.
• specifically designed with input from families as well as staff to meet local community needs.
• places where services come together and will focus on integrated service delivery and not just be co-located silos of service mix and delivery.
• places where the Centres resources (physical, financial, human resources) are shared.
• joined up government and non-government services.
• developed using a community development model process.
• managed by a Centre Leader.
• outcomes/results oriented and primarily focussed on children’s health, well being, education and care outcomes.
• places where consistent operating principles are used.
• delivering evidence based professional development and training programs.
• be respectful of all cultural groups.

• staff who work collaboratively together across professional disciplines.
• a consistent set of operating principles.
• adjunct care – short term care of children at the centre, provided in conjunction with a meeting, function, or activity that involves the parents of the children (or a person who would otherwise have care of the children during the period the child care occurs) and where the parent/ person remains on site at the centre
• a seamless provision of service mix to make sure families do not have to tell their story over and over again
• learning and development opportunities for everyone involved with the centre with a focus on collaboration, leadership, community development and child development in the early years

Child and Family Centres won’t be…

• simply an extension of the local primary school or kindergarten.
• a full day care or long day care child care service (except in those communities where the child care service chooses to locate with the Child and Family Centre).
• run separately, in isolation and without collaboration with other community services.
• a one size fits all approach.
• a place where professionals come first.
• partitioned off for exclusive use by one stakeholder.

What is happening now?
Consultation, discussion and planning within CFC communities is:

• confirming interest and involvement of relevant groups and agencies;
• establishing partnerships;
• identifying the strengths and needs in the local community;
• considering sites for the centres and looking at the CFC Functional Design Brief;
• developing a shared vision and desired outcomes;
• considering governance arrangements;
• identifying the service mix to be offered; and
• addressing practical issues in relation to the implementation.